A biweekly publication for faculty and staff

Anita Hill to Receive Spendlove Prize at Public Ceremony

Date: 
October 24, 2016 - 6:00 pm

UC Merced will honor Anita Hill as the 10th recipient of the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and Tolerance in an Oct. 24 ceremony at the Art Kamangar Center at the Merced Theatre.

The ceremony begins at 6 p.m. and is open to the public, but registration is required.

Hill’s public testimony during the 1991 Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas thrust her into the national spotlight and raised national awareness of sexual harassment. The hearings — portrayed in the 2016 HBO film “Confirmation,” with Kerry Washington starring as Hill — are considered a watershed moment for women’s rights and led to changes in workplace laws and practices to protect people from harassment.

Hill has been an advocate for equality and social justice for decades. She is an attorney and professor of social policy, law and women's studies at Brandeis University and a faculty member of Brandeis' Heller School for Social Policy and Management.

The Spendlove Prize was established in 2005 through a gift to the university from Sherrie Spendlove in honor of her parents, lifelong Merced residents Alice and Clifford Spendlove.

Charles Ogletree, who was Hill’s legal counsel during the hearings, was named the first Spendlove Prize winner in 2005 and spoke at UC Merced’s opening. Like many of the previous winners, Ogletree will be on hand to honor Hill at this year’s event and will hold a book signing the next day. Information on the signing and other related events can be found here.

Contact Information

Name: 
Office of Special Events
Phone: 
+1 (209) 228-7787
301 W. Main St.
Merced, CA 95340
United States